I took V to Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar for her birthday. I had wanted to check it out for awhile, especially since chef Jamie Kennedy had to close shop at the Royal Ontario Museum once the major renovations started last spring. And to be honest, I had been dreaming about his french fries (which have always been quite yummy when I have had them).

I was impressed with the new look of the space used for Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar. It used to be a Japanese steakhouse called Kobe. It looks really nice inside but I don’t exactly like how they’ve boxed it off into two separate areas - one really tiny (where the bar & open kitchen are) & one really huge, which I’m guessing is for events.

The menu is all little types of dishes that you can eat with different wines. I like it that way because you can share (and I love to share!) while convincing yourself that you aren’t really eating THAT much.

V & I had the grilled flatbread with an olive tapenade, white bean puree and salt cod brandade. The dish came with a smoking (literally, it was lit like an incense stick) branch of rosemary that smelled wonderful. I’m not a big fan of rosemary in cooking but I liked how they presented it with this dish. We also tried the meatloaf poutine (had to have some fries!) which is an interesting take on the Quebecois dish. I have to say that I love the real poutine when in Montreal so this version was just okay. I’ve heard that Bouchon makes a mean foie gras poutine so I might have to do a taste test. We also tried the Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce & mashed potatoes. I definitely enjoyed that.

Of course we had to try the desserts which were very reasonably priced at $5 a shot. V chose to have a chocolate pave with berries and I had the Meyer lemon ice cream Napoleon which was refreshing & light (probably NOT but I’m pretending).

The meal wasn’t bad but it wasn’t phenomenal either. The desserts were definitely the highlight & I would consider revisiting Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar again just for them.